The Canadian Women's Network (CWN) launched in 2017 to give Canadian women founders a community of like-minded peers and the opportunity to tap into the expertise and experience necessary to help them navigate their new business terrain. Since then, it has grown from a small network of expats to become the preeminent startup community connecting founders to an influential network of U.S. investors, mentors and executives to help them build locally and scale globally.
Community members have access to an array of resources and programming, from mentorship to accelerator programs, designed to help founders navigate their start-up journeys.
One such benefit is the Experts in Residence Program, which offers high value and in-depth support to the CWN community. Members learn new tools and are inspired to take action from the insights and expertise provided through workshops, small group sessions, and online advice with 'in the moment' coaching.
Meet the Experts
Amy K Musson Executive Coach
Amy K Musson is a growth junkie and endlessly fascinated with how humans grow. As a growth & leadership coach, she wants to help as many people as possible hit their full potential. Since 2002, she has had the privilege of coaching hundreds of individuals and organizations, ranging from college students to CEOs. Whether it’s through her podcast The Growth Moment, workshops, coaching groups or 1:1 coaching, she is passionate about helping each person find their unique path to full potential.
Piece of Advice: What is your zone of genius? How can you leverage other people’s genius? Where are you force fitting your doing & being into areas that are not for you? These are the kinds of leadership questions that move the needle, drive the bottom line, boost productivity and dial down burnout. As a leader, the questions you ask are far more important than the lists you make or how many meetings you squeeze in. Elevate your leadership!
Donna Griffit Storyteller
Donna Griffit, Corporate Storyteller, has worked globally for over 18 years with Fortune 500 companies, start-ups and investors in a wide variety of industries. She has consulted clients in over 30 countries, helping them create, edit and deliver presentations, pitches and messages. Donna has the ability to magically spin raw data into compelling stories that captivate audiences and drive to results. Through her guidance, clients have raised over a billion dollars.
Piece of Advice: People don't remember facts, figures, bits and bytes. They remember stories. The next time you're working on a presentation, ask yourself — what led me here? What's the story that sparked this? What am I passionate about? What do I want to convey? Then drop the jargon, the numbers, the tech, and just tell a story that resonates. Have a conversation on a human level — leave them wanting to hear more.
Kristina McDougall Talent Expert
Kristina McDougall is the President and founder of Artemis Canada, an executive search firm with offices in Waterloo and Toronto. She and her team work exclusively with tech companies, helping them identify and hire leaders who can help them build and grow. Kristina has worked in recruitment and the tech industry for more than 20 years. In that time, she has helped the leaders of many Canadian and global start-ups and scale-ups to build experienced senior teams.
Piece of Advice: Amid frenzied demand for tech leadership talent, it is important that your executive recruitment process enables both you and your top candidates to make a decision that is quick and fully informed. Provide transparent insight about opportunities and challenges; define what success looks like; book meetings over the course of a short timeline; and communicate what most impresses you in a candidate to land the best leader.